PLANETS Foundation News Stories

Recent News Stories!

New telescope proposed for Valley Isle

November 22, 2016: The University of Hawaii is proposing another cutting-edge mountaintop astronomy facility — this time the world’s highest-contrast optical telescope — but instead of creating a new imposing structure like the Thirty Meter Telescope or the Inouye solar telescope, it would simply replace an old one. Full Article…

PLANETS Telescope Proposed at Haleakalā High Altitude Observatory Site

November 07, 2016:The University of Hawaiʻi, Institute for Astronomy is proposing to establish and operate the PLANETS telescope facility located within the Haleakalā High Altitude Observatory Site near the summit of Haleakalā. The proposed project would be specifically designed for low scattered light and high-contrast nighttime observations and would house the world’s highest-contrast optical telescope. Full Article…

This Telescope Will Probe Alien Atmospheres

September 8, 2016: We’ve got observatories in space and observatories on the ground. We’ve got plenty of evidence of rocky planets in the habitable regions of their respective stars. What we’re missing, though, is information about these planets’ atmospheres. A group of astronomers now hope to fill this gap in our knowledge. Full Article…

You Can Control a Deep Space Telescope for $10,000 a Month

August 18, 2016: The PLANETS foundation so desperately wants to find life outside our solar system that it’s willing to pimp out its astronomers and equipment to do it. The Polarized Light from Atmospheres of Nearby ExtraTerrestrial Systems, or PLANETS foundation, is “dedicated to helping develop the technology, algorithms, and observing tools that will allow us to find life in the Universe.” Full Article…